Catholic News 2
SEATTLE (AP) -- Police in Seattle have released photos of the shotgun Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain used to kill himself more than two decades ago....
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Uncertainty clouded Brazil's already turbulent political scenario Thursday as a judge blocked the appointment of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as chief of staff to his successor just moments after his tumultuous swearing-in ceremony....
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea defied U.N. resolutions by firing a medium-range ballistic missile into the sea on Friday, Seoul and Washington officials said, days after its leader Kim Jong Un ordered weapons tests linked to its pursuit of a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The closure of the subways in the nation's capital in the middle of the workweek to inspect and repair power cables that could otherwise burst into flames was just the latest symptom of a lengthy decline for the Metro system, once a source of regional pride....
NEW YORK (AP) -- From the green line painted on Fifth Avenue to the tartans, pipes and drums, New York's St. Patrick's Day Parade reveled in its long traditions. But to the marchers behind a green-and-lavender banner, it also marked a new era of inclusion at the nation's largest celebration of Irish heritage....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- It was Day One for the traditional courtesy calls to senators, but there's not much about Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination that has adhered to tradition - or courtesy....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Thursday he still maintains a "path toward victory" in his Democratic presidential bid against Hillary Clinton, rejecting suggestions that she has all but sewn up the party's nomination....
BRUSSELS (AP) -- European Union leaders have agreed a common stance on a plan to send tens of thousands of migrants back to Turkey which they will put to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday....
Christian groups in Malaysia are concerned that the Islamist party, Pan-Malaysian Islamic party (PAS), is making a renewed bid in parliament to allow for hudud, the system of punishment set up by the Quran. All are vehement in their objection to Islamic laws being used as a parallel penal code operating in tandem with civil laws, even if it is applicable to just one religious community.The Sabah Council of Churches said the issue is about basic human rights. The Rev. Jerry Dusing, the council's president who spoke out against the party's bid to institute hudud last year, reaffirmed his objection March 17, a day after the party said it had approached the federal government to seek assurances that their request would be brought to parliament.He said the renewed bid by the Islamist party is a betrayal of the foundation of Malaysia in 1963 when Sabah joined with Malaya and Sarawak to form the new nation. Dusing, said Malaysia was founded as a secular country and the plans to i...
Christian groups in Malaysia are concerned that the Islamist party, Pan-Malaysian Islamic party (PAS), is making a renewed bid in parliament to allow for hudud, the system of punishment set up by the Quran. All are vehement in their objection to Islamic laws being used as a parallel penal code operating in tandem with civil laws, even if it is applicable to just one religious community.
The Sabah Council of Churches said the issue is about basic human rights. The Rev. Jerry Dusing, the council's president who spoke out against the party's bid to institute hudud last year, reaffirmed his objection March 17, a day after the party said it had approached the federal government to seek assurances that their request would be brought to parliament.
He said the renewed bid by the Islamist party is a betrayal of the foundation of Malaysia in 1963 when Sabah joined with Malaya and Sarawak to form the new nation. Dusing, said Malaysia was founded as a secular country and the plans to implement the religious-based criminal law is irreconcilable. PAS, founded in 1951, is the country's oldest and largest opposition party, and draws inspiration from Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.
Hudud means 'limit' and is an Islamic concept within the Islamic Sharia law that is especially defining 'crimes against God' and which is based on the Koran and the prophet Muhammad's teachings, or Hadiths.
"We are not an Islamic country … that is fundamental. We must remember that religious freedom is a fundamental human right," he said. "There is an ongoing dilution of human rights in this country and we are concerned," he told ucanews.com. "I respect Islam and Muslims and they should also respect me … Christians and our beliefs. We understand the new political dynamics (are) in play," he said.
He said that although the hudud would only apply to Muslims, the ambiguous laws on religious freedom and the current interpretation of Malaysia being an Islamic country has alarmed the Christian community.
Father Lawrence Andrew, editor of the Herald, Malaysia’s Catholic newspaper, told ucanews.com that nothing had changed in Malaysians’ opposition to hudud despite the PAS claiming a new alliance with the multiracial Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan) that had breathed new life into its efforts to Islamize the country’s laws.
"The people are skeptical about PAS' overtures in trying to see themselves as a good guy … PAS cannot do much," he said. Nevertheless, Father Andrew also believes fundamentalism is on the rise in the country.
Since last year when the federal government rejected hudud, the Malaysian Islamic Party forged closer links with the United Malay National Organization led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, which led to the party expecting a more accommodating stance on the issue.
(Main Source: UCANews)
(Vatican Radio) European Union leaders are pushing ahead with controversial plans to send tens of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty back to Turkey amid deep divisions among them over how to manage Europe's biggest refugee emergency since World War Two. The plan is aimed at halting a fresh influx of refugees within a month. Listen to the report by Stefan Bos: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, is predicting that migrants will stop leaving Turkey within three or four weeks.As the EU-Turkey summit began in Brussels, the Dutch leader told reporters that it is crucial to reach an agreement with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu by Friday. "There is no alternative. We have to come to a deal otherwise the situation in Greece will stay very difficult," he said. "The humanitarian crisis will increase. As the West Balkans route has now been closed off, people can not leave Greece. So it is crucial th...
(Vatican Radio) European Union leaders are pushing ahead with controversial plans to send tens of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty back to Turkey amid deep divisions among them over how to manage Europe's biggest refugee emergency since World War Two. The plan is aimed at halting a fresh influx of refugees within a month.
Listen to the report by Stefan Bos:
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, is predicting that migrants will stop leaving Turkey within three or four weeks.
As the EU-Turkey summit began in Brussels, the Dutch leader told reporters that it is crucial to reach an agreement with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu by Friday. "There is no alternative. We have to come to a deal otherwise the situation in Greece will stay very difficult," he said.
"The humanitarian crisis will increase. As the West Balkans route has now been closed off, people can not leave Greece. So it is crucial that we come to a deal now and tomorrow," Rutte added.
Turkey is the source of most refugees heading across the sea to Greece - and seen as a key partner to contain the influx.
HALTING MIGRANTS
Under an EU agreement Turkey would stop migrants from leaving and take back from Greece all new arrivals not eligible for asylum. For every irregular migrant returned to Turkey, EU countries would take in one Syrian refugee from Turkey, up to a total of 72,000 in a process supervised by the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.
Yet striking as deal won't be easy. Belgian Prime Charles Michel said Turkish negotiating tactics in his words "sometimes resemble a form of blackmail."
It was in apparent reference to Turkey's demands to receive more aid to deal with the crisis, some 6,6 billion dollars, roughly double the amount that was previously pledged. Turkey also demands speed up EU membership talks and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens
Additionally European unity looks increasingly fragile after more than 1 million migrants, including many fleeing war-torn Syria, arrived in Europe last year alone. Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orbán for instance, has already said that any deal with Turkey must include assurances that his EU member state won't be forced to take in a quota of refugees.
Despite the tensions, Greece said it wants EU leaders to hammer out that will not only halt the flow of refugees but also offer a legal way for refugees to resettle and start a new life in Europe.
